Sue Ellen's Secret Crush
by Owennumber1fan
Summary: An insensitive comment by Muffy leads to a chain of events that has Sue Ellen fall for Arthur. Will she be able to tell him how she feels?
1. Pool Party Problems

In her room, Sue Ellen was writing in her diary.

"Dear Diary" she began "it's funny how people seem a certain way at first glance, but you have to look closer to see them for how they really are. Like Francine, for example. When I first met her, I thought she was an arrogant, mean girl. But she's helped me learn a lot about sports and is one of my best friends."

"Then there's Binky" she continued "I originally thought he was just this mean bully. But as I got to know him, I realized there was nicer, kinder side to him, even if he doesn't show it much."

"And Buster, he…" she paused as if looking for something to say, "um, okay, forget Buster."

"And of course, there's Arthur. When I first met, I saw him as this kind of nerdy kid, who was a little whiny, but nice. But recently, I've been seeing him in an entirely different light. He's not just a good friend, he's my true love."

With that, she grabbed her diary, held it to her chest, and sighed wistfully.

----

Sue Ellen's Secret Crush

----

Several days earlier, the 3rd grade class gathered at the Crosswire mansion for a pool party held by Muffy. As was always the case, Sue Ellen wore her two piece green bathing suit. Little did she realize that wearing that suit would start off a chain of events that would lead to her falling for Arthur.

During the day, after a brief swim, Sue Ellen was toweling off. Her hair was wet, but had not lost its' usual shape. It was then that Muffy came over to talk with her.

"Sue Ellen, we need to have a talk" she said.

"What about?"

"Your bathing suit."

"What's wrong with it?" Sue Ellen asked "is it out of style? Is green not 'in', or something?"

"Well yes" Muffy replied "but that's not the problem. I can't help but notice you're wearing a two piece suit."

"Nothing gets by you" Sue Ellen replied sarcastically.

"Have you noticed that all the other girls wear one piece suits" Muffy continued "yet you don't."

"You just noticed this now?" Sue Ellen asked "I've worn this suit every time we've gone swimming."

"True, but I only mention it because I don't want you showing me up at my own party" Muffy explained.

"Excuse me?"

"See Sue Ellen, when you wear a two piece you're basically showing the boys, oh how did that lady on TV phrase it, 'what you've got for sale.'"

"Are you saying I wear this suit to attract boys?" Sue Ellen asked, the tone in her voice indicating that she was none too happy.

"Well I can't think of any other reason you would" Muffy said "and I realize you're jealous of me, since I'm so beautiful, but you don't have to show off to get a boy to like you. I'm sure they'll be attracted to you for you, just as not much as they're attracted to me."

Confident that she had shared some valuable advice, Muffy walked off back to the party. Sue Ellen meanwhile, was controlling her urge to karate chop her snobby friend.

_That rotten snob! _She thought _who does she think she is? "Ooh, I'm Muffy Crosswire, queen of the universe and everyone loves me!" _she thought in a mocking voice _I should teach her a lesson. _

Suddenly a little angel resembling Sue Ellen appeared on the girl's right shoulder.

"Don't do it" the angel told her "Muffy is your friend."

Then a little devil, also resembling Sue Ellen, popped up on her left shoulder.

"Come on, Muffy just insulted you" the devil said "you need to take that snob down a peg."

"You're right" Sue Ellen said to the devil, then turned to her angel. "I'm sorry, but I almost never listen to her" she explained. Both little Sues disappeared as she surveyed the pool grounds.

Even if I liked a boy in our class, which I don't, I could get one without wearing my suit. That'd show Muffy! But which one should I try for?

She looked over at Buster, who was eating a giant sub sandwich.

_Not in a million years _she thought. Then her line of sight was drawn to Binky, who was doing a cannonball off the diving board.

_Well he is kind of strong _Sue Ellen thought _but he's also kind of dumb. And he really didn't make a good impression as a big brother either. _

She then spied Brain sitting on the edge of the pool, conversing with George. _Brain is smart, but he did put me to sleep when I recruited him as a big brother _she thought _plus he'd probably spend more time building stuff than playing with me. _

Then she noticed Arthur, swimming with Francine over in another part of the pool. _Hmm, Arthur is a little whiny, but he's really nice. And I could do worse_ she added, glancing over at Buster again. _Okay then, all I have to do is get Arthur to kiss me in front of Muffy. That should ruin her little party! _

With her decision now made, she went over to where Arthur was and slipped into the pool. Since Francine left to play with Muffy, they were alone.

"Hi Arthur"

"Hi Sue Ellen. Great party huh?"

"Yeah, it's great" Sue Ellen replied "you know Arthur, I never noticed how tough you are."

"Me, tough?" asked a confused Arthur.

"Oh definitely" Sue Ellen replied, "way tougher than Binky. Tougher than anyone in our class, I imagine."

"Well, I…" Arthur began nervously.

Sue Ellen wrapped her arm around him "everyone thinks you're a nerd, but I don't" she said, as seductively as she could.

"Who said I was a nerd?" Arthur asked.

"Um…somebody" Sue Ellen replied "but the point is, you're not."

"But who said I was? Was it Binky?"

Sue Ellen wasn't paying attention, and instead glanced over at Muffy.

"Oh Arthur, you're so funny!" she said, making sure it was loud enough for Muffy to hear.

"But I didn't say anything" Arthur replied.

Sue Ellen laughed "oh, you funny boy!" she said again, as loudly as possible.

"You're really starting to freak me out" Arthur said pulling away from her, "I think I'll be over here now" he added, swimming off.

Sue Ellen turned and noticed that Muffy & Francine had gone back to talking and drooped her head in disappointment. She spent the rest of the day in a glum mood.

Great, not only didn't I teach Muffy a lesson, but I made a fool of myself. I just want to go home and forget any of this ever happened.

That night, she went to bed, but was unable to get Muffy's words or her subsequent humiliation out of her mind. Until she began to dream…

"Last chance my dear, will you agree to marry me?" asked Nasty Disposition, who resembled Binky with black clothes and a long mustache.

"Never, you evil fiend!" replied Sweet Sue, who was, naturally, Sue Ellen wearing a frilly dress and bonnet. She was currently tied to some railroad tracks.

"Then the Crown City Star shall be your doom" Nasty said.

Sue craned her head as much as possible and saw the train coming her way.

"Help, oh help!" she cried "won't someone save me!"

"No one can save you my dear" Nasty said, then chuckled evilly.

"I'll save you!" came a powerful sounding, yet familiar voice.

Nasty turned and saw the source of the voice. Sue couldn't see much from the ground, but could tell he was quite muscular.

"Oh no you don't!" Nasty said and went to fight with the mystery man. Meanwhile, Sue noticed the train getting closer and screamed in terror.

Eventually, the muscular stranger knocked out Nasty and quickly untied Sue, just as the train came zooming by.

"You're safe now ma'am."

"My hero!" Sue said, and kissed him. During the kiss, she opened her eyes to gaze at the face of her rescuer.

It looked just like Arthur.

Looks like Sue Ellen's developing a little thing for Arthur. In the next chapter, one of her classmates learns about her crush, but is sworn to secrecy. And Sue Ellen tries to come to grips with her new feelings.


	2. Fantasies and Fern

The next day at school, Sue Ellen was still wondering about her strange dream. As she was at her locker, Arthur stopped to talk to her.

"Hi Sue Ellen."

"Hi Arthur" she said, turning to look at him, then gasped in surprise.

Instead of the Arthur she knew, she saw the handsome, muscular Arthur from her dream standing there.

"Are you okay?" the dream Arthur asked, in Arthur's normal voice.

_Oh my gosh! Am I in love with Arthur? _she thought to herself. _How did this happen? I've got to do something, I've got to…wait. What's wrong with being in love with Arthur? He's not very handsome, but he is the nicest, sweetest boy in class. _

"Hello, Earth to Sue Ellen, are you there?" Arthur asked, waving his hand in front of her face.

Sue Ellen, realizing he was trying to get her attention, shook her head as if clearing out cobwebs. This time she saw the Arthur she was accustomed to.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yes, I was just worried about the big math test" she lied.

"We have a math test today?" Arthur asked, "oh man, I gotta talk to Brain! See ya Sue Ellen" he said as he rushed off down the hallway.

"See ya" Sue Ellen said, waving goodbye _he's even handsome when he runs _she thought.

-----

Both kids eventually reached their classroom. Sue Ellen took a seat opposite Jenna & Buster, leaving the seat next to her open.

"Can I sit here?" Arthur asked.

Sue Ellen turned to respond and saw the handsome Arthur from her dream again.

"Sit…you…here" she babbled.

"If you don't want me to sit here, just say so" Arthur said "but the seat's across from Buster and I kind of…"

"Go right ahead" Sue Ellen blurted out quickly.

"Thanks" Arthur replied, ignoring her weird behavior and chatting up Buster. Nobody at her table noticed how nervous she was.

_Great, I'm in love with Arthur and he's sitting right next to me! _She thought _I just have to concentrate on the work, and ignore him completely. How hard can that be? _

"Good morning class" Mr. Ratburn said, upon entering the room, "this morning for fun, I thought I'd show a film about the history of dirt."

Everyone groaned.

As the class watched the film, Sue Ellen kept her eyes only on Arthur.

_Should I tell him I love him? She thought What will he say? What if he laughs at me? Or worse, what if everyone else laughs at me? I'd be so embarrassed I'd never want to go to school again! I'll have to take this slow. _

-----

Later at lunch, Sue Ellen distanced herself as far from Arthur as possible. She sat at a table with the other girls, though she did look over at him from time to time.

Interaction in the halls was also limited. She went out of her way to avoid talking to him and if she did, quickly made up an excuse to leave. Eventually, she went into the girls bathroom, where she was certain she could be alone with her thoughts.

_I can't keep living like this _she thought _Arthur's going to think I'm crazy or something. I have to tell him how I feel about him before he's creeped out by me. _

As she stared into the mirror, Fern came out of one of the nearby stalls and began to wash her hands.

"So" she began "how long have you been in love with Arthur?"

Sue Ellen suddenly wished she could spontaneously combust.

"W-w-what are you talking about?" she asked nervously "I'm not in love with Arthur."

"Come on Sue Ellen" Fern said, "I saw you looking at him during class and at lunch. Plus in the halls, I saw you make up an excuse to not talk to him. All the signs point to you either being mad at him, or in love. And since you're not the type to hold a grudge…"

"Okay, okay I am in love with him" Sue Ellen replied.

"How did this happen?" Fern asked.

"I don't know" Sue Ellen said "yesterday at her pool party, Muffy said some insensitive things about me trying to attract boys so I decided to get back at her and have one of them kiss me. I chose Arthur cause he seemed like the best one. It didn't work, so I didn't think any more about it, but then last night I had this fantasy about him and…"

"You had a fantasy about Arthur?" Fern asked, "do I want to know what happened?"

"He saved me from being run over by a train" Sue Ellen explained "and for some reason he was really muscular and had long, flowing hair. Anyway, I realize now that, although I originally wanted to use him to get back at Muffy, all the positive qualities that led me to choose him are why I like him."

"Interesting" Fern added.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone about this" Sue Ellen said, "if our classmates found out, well, you know how they are."

Fern held up her right hand and put the other across her chest "I swear on the name of Agatha Christie that I won't tell another living soul" she replied.

"Good, now let's get out of here, before people wonder what happened to us" Sue Ellen said.

-----

Back in class, as she did her math work, Sue Ellen had another fantasy:

This time she and Arthur were in black and white and wearing old style period clothes.

"Well done Rick & Nola" said a police officer as they arrested Brain "you've successfully recovered the Soap diamond."

"I couldn't have done it without my beautiful and brilliant wife" Rick (a.k.a. Arthur) told the policeman.

"And I couldn't have done it without the help of my handsome husband" Nola (a.k.a. Sue Ellen) added, stroking Arthur's chin.

"Come my darling, we have more mysteries to solve and more crooks to catch" Rick said.

"First solve the mystery of why you haven't kissed me yet" Nola added.

Rick took her in his arms and kissed her while their terrier dog watched with a look of confusion on its' face.

Sue Ellen came back to reality, sighing happily just as class ended.

"Please leave your quizzes on my desk before you leave" Mr. Ratburn ordered.

As she deposited her quiz on the desk and left the room, one thought circulated through her head.

_Why did I fantasize about the dog's reaction to our kissing? _

Next time, Sue Ellen decides to give Arthur a gift as a sign of her (secret) love. Then, with Fern's help, she sends him a secret admirer note to test his reaction. Will he be interested in having a girlfriend? You'll just have to read and find out.


	3. Someone has a secret admirer

"Well Chester, I'm in love"

Sue Ellen was addressing her teddy bear, whom she held aloft on her bed.

"It's hard to believe I've known Arthur for almost a year and yet I've just now fallen for him. But then, he's always been so kind to me. When I first moved in, he was the one who convinced me to get up in front of the class."

She sighed "but I'm afraid if I tell him how I feel, he won't like me back. And worse, if my class finds out, I'll never live it down! How do parents deal with this?

Maybe I could use something from my travels to help me win Arthur" she added, "like that time I visited Haiti."

She imagined being in the hall in school the next day. Arthur walked past her, waving hello as he did.

"Hi Sue Ellen."

Sue Ellen waved back and waited till he passed, then pulled a voodoo doll resembling Arthur from her dress.

She put the doll's head to her lips, and sure enough, Arthur turned around, and some force propelled him right at Sue Ellen, where he connected with her lips for a kiss.

After they broke the kiss, Arthur looked at her. "I don't why but, I want to be your boyfriend" he said.

"And I want you to" Sue Ellen replied, before they kissed again. She then hid the voodoo doll back in her dress.

Back in her room, Sue Ellen considered the events of her fantasy.

"No, I don't want to force Arthur to like me, I want him to do it on his own" she said "besides, I don't even know how to make a voodoo doll. Hmmm, they say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach…"

She imagined being in the cafeteria at school and putting a cake down in front of Arthur.

"Eat up" she said, "I baked this cake just for you."

Before Arthur could even get a bite however, Buster showed up and noticed the cake.

"Mmmm cake" he said, before devouring it greedily.

"Buster, that's not for you!" Sue Ellen replied angrily.

"Sorry."

Sue Ellen then returned to reality, realizing that she'd have to come up with something else.

"I've got it, I'll give him a present!" she said "something that's important to me. That will show him how much I care. But what to give him?"

She scanned her room and looked through all of her knickknacks from her travels. "I don't really want to give up any of these" she said, "maybe I'll just make him something. That way it'll be even more special."

So for the rest of the day, Sue Ellen worked hard on creating something she knew Arthur would like. At night, she lay awake in bed, pondering what the next day would bring.

_I can't wait to see his reaction to my gift _she thought _I'm sure he'll love it, and then I'll be one step closer to telling him how I truly feel. _

------

The next day at school, Sue Ellen sought out Arthur and found him by his locker.

"Hi Sue Ellen" Arthur greeted her "did I do something to annoy you? You were avoiding me yesterday."

"I…just wasn't feeling well" Sue Ellen replied "anyway, I really wanted to talk to you today. I have something important to give you."

"Okay. What is it?"

She reached into her backpack and produced a clay sculpture of Bionic Bunny.

"Wow, did you do this yourself?" Arthur asked, obviously impressed.

"Yup, it took me a few hours, but it was worth it."

"And you made this, for me?" Arthur asked.

"Of course."

"Thanks, but…well, why did you make it?"

_Cause I'm madly in love with you _Sue Ellen thought.

"Because you're my friend and friends do this kind of stuff for each other" she replied.

"Oh. Well okay" Arthur replied "I'll just keep this in my locker for now. Thanks again" he added, heading off to class.

"You're welcome" Sue Ellen replied, as she watched him go, then leaned against the lockers and sighed.

_Okay, he likes the gift you made him _she thought _now comes the tough part, how to say 'I love you?' _

------

"Well, did you tell him yet?" Fern asked Sue Ellen, as both girls sat at the lunch table.

"No, I couldn't find the right words" Sue Ellen replied "those people on TV make this look so easy."

"Let me handle this" Fern said, "I have an idea."

"You? What do you know about romance?"

"I'll have you know read some very romantic poems" Fern replied, "but actually, I had something else in mind. Something that will make it easier for you to tell Arthur how you feel."

"What is it?"

"Just wait and see. It worked once, so it should work again."

------

And so it was that later that day, Arthur opened his locker to find a folded note.

"What could this be?" he asked, opening it up.

_Dear Arthur _

_I like you. I think you are the cutest boy in the whole 3__rd__ grade. Not a day goes by where I don't have a passionate dream about the two of us. You are smarter than the Brain and stronger than Binky. I hope you will respond. _

_Sincerely yours _

_Your Secret Admirer _

"Aaah!" Arthur shouted, and quickly shoved the letter in his pocket. As he wandered to class, he pondered the contents of what he had just read.

_I can't believe some girl has a crush on me! _He thought _I'm both scared and flattered. Who could it be? Francine? No, she's like a sister to me. Muffy? I sure hope not. Wait, how do I even know it's somebody from my grade? It could be somebody older, like Molly. _

He imagined the possibility of having Molly as a girlfriend. The two of them were hanging out by the jungle gym when Francine came over.

"Hey Arthur, wanna play some kickball?" she asked.

"Beat it monkeyface, Arthur doesn't have time to play with you" Molly said, "and if I see you so much as talk to him again, you'll be in a world of pain!"

"But I…"

"Scram!" Molly yelled and Francine ran off.

"Molly, Francine is one of my best friends!" Arthur said.

"She's also a girl, and no girl is taking you away from me" Molly added, then caught Arthur in a tight hug "you're all mine!"

Arthur came out of his fantasy more nervous then ever.

_Whoever this secret admirer is, I need to find her and quickly _he thought _before she tells everyone in the school that we're together! Or, if it is Molly, before she scares off all my friends! _

------

Later, at lunch, Arthur's friends noticed he seemed more nervous than usual.

"Are you okay Arthur?" Buster asked, "you seem nervous."

"Nervous, me? I'm not nervous, not at all, what would give you that idea?" Arthur asked, speaking rapidly.

"Because you're speaking at an accelerated rate" Brain said "and you keep glancing over at the other tables."

"What, a guy can't watch his friends eat lunch without getting the third degree?" Arthur asked, again rapidly.

"I guess so…" Buster replied.

"Good, so I'm fine okay" he continued "so drop it."

"Okay" Binky said, dropping his sandwich.

"I think he meant drop the issue" Brain explained.

"Oh, that makes more sense" Binky added, "I wish I had thought of that earlier. Now I don't have a lunch. Oh wait, my mom packed me crackers."

As Binky enjoyed what was left of his meal, Arthur continued to glance nervously at the girls, dreading the prospect of finding out which of them had written the note.

_Maybe I don't really have a secret admirer _he thought _maybe one of the guys wrote it as a joke. But what if they didn't and a girl really does like me? Part of me is flattered that a girl actually likes me, but I'm more afraid about what will happen if she asks me to kiss her. And what if the guys find out? I'd never live it down! I'll just have to talk to each girl and see if I can figure out which one wrote the note. How hard could that be? _

While Arthur worried, Sue Ellen conversed with Fern at another table.

"So what exactly did you do that was supposed to help me with Arthur?" she asked.

"I wrote him a note from a secret admirer" Fern replied.

"What?!"

"Don't worry, I didn't sign your name" Fern explained "see, if Arthur thinks he has a secret admirer, then he'll know someone likes him. That will make it easier when you tell him."

"Good idea" Sue Ellen said "in fact, I think I'll write him one myself. I can't wait to see his reaction."

------

As Arthur opened his locker later that day, he found another note. Dreading what it might be, he nonetheless opened it.

_Dear Arthur _

_It's me again. I'm still thinking about you and I hope you feel the same about me as I do about you. Because I want nothing more than to be held in your arms, and feel the troubles of the world just melt away. _

_OOOO _

_Your Secret Admirer _

Arthur felt as though he would explode. Twice in one day he had gotten notes from a girl who had a crush on him, and yet he had no idea who it was. It was time to take drastic action.

In the next chapter, Arthur hires Fern to locate his secret admirer, only to come to believe that she is, in fact, said admirer. It's a twist worthy of Shakespeare or a dozen other writers.


	4. Arthur loves Fern 'not really'

Back in Mr. Ratburn's class, Arthur put his plan into effect. He sat down at the desk next to Muffy.

"Um, Muffy, remember when Brain and Francine sent you that fake love note?" he asked.

"Uh huh."

"Well, let's say you did like a boy in school. What would you write in a note to him?"

"If I liked a boy, he'd have to be older and have very expensive tastes" Muffy replied "why are you asking me this anyway? Did you get a love note from someone?"

"No! I mean, I was…just curious is all" Arthur replied.

After Muffy ignored him, Arthur scanned the room for other possible suspects.

_I've already ruled out Francine and Muffy _he thought _that leaves Fern, Sue Ellen, Jenna, & Cheryl. And if it's not any of them, it could be somebody from one of the other grades. Oh, I can't ask every girl in the school, what am I going to do? _

Then he looked at Fern again and an idea hit him.

_Hey, maybe I can get Fern to find out who wrote it _he thought _I just have to make sure she promises never to reveal it to anyone. _

------

"Okay Arthur, I'll take your case" Fern said. Arthur had caught up with her after school and explained everything that had happened.

"And you promise you won't tell anyone about this?" he asked.

"Cross my heart" Fern said, making the appropriate motion.

"Okay, talk to me later when you find something out" Arthur said, before running off to go home. Once Fern was sure he had gone, she went to find Sue Ellen.

"You won't believe what just happened" she told her.

"They put new mysteries in the library?" Sue Ellen guessed.

"No. Arthur hired me to find out who his secret admirer is" Fern replied.

"So, are you going to tell him it's me?" Sue Ellen wondered.

"No. But think about it. I can help convince Arthur that he should hook up with his 'secret admirer.' Then it will be easier for you to tell him how you feel."

"That's a brilliant plan!" Sue Ellen said, "there's no way that can fail."

------

The next day, at recess, Arthur approached Fern at a nearby picnic table.

"Did you find out anything?" he asked.

"I can tell your secret admirer is someone in class" Fern replied "but first I need to ask you a few questions."

"Okay."

"How do you feel about having a secret admirer?"

"Upset" Arthur replied.

"Why is that?" Fern wondered.

"Because it's gross!" Arthur said "what if she wants to kiss me? I'd get cooties all over me!"

"But what if she's a girl who really likes you?" Fern inquired, "are you really going to break her heart like that? Maybe you should give her a chance."

"No way!"

"Come on Arthur. If there's a girl out there who likes you, I say you should search inside yourself and see if you feel the same way. You just might."

_What is Fern doing? _Arthur thought _I wanted her to find out who my secret admirer is, and she's trying convince me to go out with this girl. Why would she be so interested in me going out with my secret admirer…unless, __**she is**__ my secret admirer! _

"Arthur, did you hear what I said?" Fern asked.

"Uh, I gotta go, I just…heard the bell. Well, bye" Arthur said, running as fast as he could.

"I hope I got through to him" Fern said to herself "Sue Ellen will be so pleased."

------

Back at his locker, Arthur was thinking about this new development.

_I can't believe Fern's in love with me! _He thought _this is way worse than the time I thought Francine was in love with me. Okay, all I have to do is talk to Fern alone. I'll just say, "Fern, you're a great friend, but I don't like you that way." She'll understand that…I hope. _

"Hey Arthur" Sue Ellen's voice interrupted his thoughts "so, what's new?"

"Nothing, nothing" Arthur replied _just the fact that Fern is head over heels in love with me _he thought.

"Are you sure there's nothing new?" Sue Ellen asked, "no special someone in your life?"

_Oh no, does Sue Ellen know? _Arthur thought _I'd better test her. _

"No, of course not!" Arthur yelled "you'd never see me dating a girl, that's for sure. And definitely not Fern."

"What does Fern have to do with anything?" Sue Ellen asked.

"She doesn't…that is to say, she…" Arthur stammered, "um, look Principal Haney's coming this way!"

Sue Ellen turned to look "I don't see Principal Haney" she said, but when she turned back, Arthur was gone.

"That was weird" she said, "I'd better talk to Fern and find out what's going on."

-------

"George, can you keep a secret?" Arthur asked his friend as both were in the bathroom.

"Sure, what is it?"

Arthur looked around to make sure no one else was there, then whispered into George's ear.

"Are you sure?" an amazed George asked.

Arthur shook his head, "yeah, she practically told me!"

"Wow, I never would've guessed Fern would like you. I always saw her going for someone like Brain."

"Listen, you can't tell anyone" Arthur said "if the rest of the class hears about this, they'll never let me live it down!"

"Okay, but why'd you tell me?" George asked.

"Because I need advice" Arthur explained "I don't want to go out with Fern, but I'm afraid what will happen if I hurt her. Remember what she did when Francine called her a mouse?"

"Oh yeah" George said "well if you're worried about hurting her, maybe you can make it so that she doesn't like you anymore."

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

"Show off some really gross habits. Fern will lose interest in no time, and then you don't have to break her heart" George suggested.

"Wow that is a good idea" Arthur said, "thanks George, and remember, don't tell anyone."

"My lips are sealed" George replied.

------

During recess, Sue Ellen sought out Fern on the playground. She found her reading under one of the nearby trees.

"What exactly did you say to Arthur?" she asked, "he's acting all weird and saying he won't date anyone."

"That's odd" Fern said, "I told him he should search his heart and give his secret admirer a chance. Although he did seem rather reluctant to do so…"

"Great!" Sue Ellen exclaimed "I like Arthur and he doesn't like me back! Why must life be so cruel?"

"Now hold on, I never said Arthur didn't like you" Fern explained "let me work with him some more and I'm sure I can turn him around."

"Okay" Sue Ellen replied "but you'd better hurry. The day's half over."

------

After school Fern sought out Arthur and found him talking to Buster.

"Arthur, could I talk to you for a second?" she asked.

_This is it _Arthur thought _just remember what George said; show her how disgusting I really am. _

"Could you excuse us for a minute Buster?"

"Okay. I'll catch you at the Sugar Bowl later" Buster replied.

After his bunny friend left, Arthur turned to Fern "what do you want?"

"I wanted to finish the conversation we had earlier."

"Sure, sure, let me just finish this pudding" Arthur said. He peeled the top off and proceeded to pour the contents directly into his mouth.

"Eww" Fern replied.

"Yeah, well, that's the way I eat" Arthur said, "yup, nothing I love more than shoving food in my face." Then he let loose a powerful belch right in her face. "Excuse me."

"You're grossing me out Arthur" Fern replied.

"Hey, I'm just being my normal self" Arthur explained.

"Okay, you're acting really weird and I don't know why, so I'm going to leave now" Fern said, before she walked away.

"Wow George's plan worked" Arthur said "there's no way Fern is still in love with me. I guess that's the end of all this 'secret admirer' stuff."

-----

Sue Ellen & Fern walked towards their houses, and the cat girl grilled her friend on how things went with Arthur.

"I couldn't talk to him, he was acting so disgusting" Fern explained "it was as though he was purposely trying to get me to leave him…" Suddenly, it hit her like a ton of bricks.

"What? What is it?"

"Now I understand" Fern replied "because I was the one who talked to Arthur about his secret admirer, it's possible he assumed I was said admirer. That would explain why he's been acting so strange around me."

"Okay, so how do I get Arthur to find out the truth?" Sue Ellen asked.

"I guess you'll have to tell him yourself" Fern said "I've helped all I can, and after this incident, I'm washing my hands of this whole thing."

"If that's how you feel" Sue Ellen replied "I'm not worried. I mean, how hard can it be to say three little words? I could say them with my eyes closed, no problem."

"Then why haven't you?"

"Shut up."

Next time, Sue Ellen finally musters the courage to talk to Arthur, only to find Buster ruining her chance to be alone with him. What does she do in order to distract him? You'll just have to read and find out.


	5. Confrontation

The next day at school, Sue Ellen watched Arthur from her desk.

_This is it _she thought _the big day. The day when I tell Arthur how I feel about him. I wonder what his reaction will be? I hope he returns my feelings, cause I don't know how I could face him if he doesn't. _

Meanwhile, Mr. Ratburn was handing back some geography quizzes.

"Francine, good job" he said "George, well done. Sue Ellen, you did remarkably well, except I don't think the world's largest textile importer is 'I love Arthur.'"

Sue Ellen gasped and looked at her test. Sure enough, written right there for everyone to see, were the words "I love Arthur."

"Did you hear that?" Francine asked Muffy "Sue Ellen loves Arthur."

"Sue Ellen loves Arthur, Sue Ellen loves Arthur!" the kids began to chant.

"Stop it!" Sue Ellen yelled, then noticed Arthur looking at her.

"Thanks a lot Sue Ellen" he said angrily "now everybody in the class is laughing at me. I've never been so embarrassed in my whole life!"

He ran from his desk and ran out of the classroom, with Sue Ellen getting up and following him.

"Don't let your boyfriend get away" Francine said mockingly.

"Arthur, wait, I didn't mean for you to find out this way. Arthur come back, please! Come back! Come back…come back…come back…"

Sue Ellen shot up and discovered that she was still in her room. She let out a sigh of relief.

"It was just a dream" she said, "thank goodness. Now I can tell him the way I wanted to, in a nice private spot where no one else can hear us."

------

When school started, Sue Ellen camped out by Arthur's locker waiting for him to show up. She saw him arrive and quickly opened her locker.

"And that part where Dark Bunny threw his Bunnyrang at the giant robot, that was so cool!" Arthur said to Buster as both boys walked towards his locker.

"I liked how he used his cape as a hang glider" Buster added.

"Hello Arthur" Sue Ellen said. Arthur ignored her and continued talking to Buster.

"Um, Arthur, I have something really important to tell you, so meet me at the Sugar Bowl after school, okay?"

"Huh? Sure, whatever Sue Ellen" Arthur said, not quite hearing what she said.

"It's very important you…"

"Sugar Bowl after school, I got it" Arthur replied.

"Okay then, see you after school" Sue Ellen replied. She then headed down the hallway, equally waiting for and dreading the end of school.

------

The end of school finally came and Sue Ellen waited for Arthur. He eventually showed up, but Sue Ellen was not happy to see who was accompanying him.

"Okay Sue Ellen, we're all ready to go" Arthur said.

"What's Buster doing here?"

"He loves the Sugar Bowl. I hope you don't mind."

_Actually, I do _she thought _but if I say so, he might get mad and I don't want that. So what do I do? _

Then she noticed a fellow classmate of hers and an idea formed in her head.

"You guys go ahead" Sue Ellen said, "I just remembered this last minute thing I had to do" and she ran off.

"What's up with her?" Buster asked.

"I don't know, she's been acting weird all week."

"Maybe an alien took over her body and is using her as a drone to help in their plans to take over all the world's elementary schools so they can give kids non-stop homework!" Buster suggested.

"Or it could be that girls are just weird" Arthur added.

"I still like my alien theory."

------

Outside the school, Sue Ellen caught up with Jenny, her blonde rabbit classmate.

"Jenny, I need a huge favor from you" she said "I want you to come with me to the Sugar Bowl and distract Buster so I can talk to Arthur for a few minutes."

"Eww no, I'm not getting anywhere near Buster" Jenny replied, disgusted "he eats food off the floor!"

"And occasionally out of the garbage can" Sue Ellen said "look, I don't expect you to watch him eat, just show up and tell him you want to listen to one of his crazy stories or something. Please, I'll give you five dollars."

"Okay" Jenny replied "but what's so special you have to talk to Arthur about?"

"I…need help on my homework" Sue Ellen lied.

"I could help you, or maybe Brain. I don't see why you need to bother Arthur."

"Look, it's really personal, okay?" Sue Ellen replied "Just take the five dollars and don't say anything more about it."

"Okay fine. Jeez, you act like you're in love with him or something" Jenny said.

Sue Ellen laughed nervously "yeah, that would be funny" she said "me, in love with Arthur? That could never happen."

-----

Sue Ellen & Jenny arrived at the Sugar Bowl after a few minutes. Arthur & Buster had already arrived and were already enjoying their floats. The two girls entered and sat down next to them.

"Hey Sue Ellen, you take care of that thing yet?" Arthur asked.

_Not yet_ she thought. "Yup, all taken care of" she replied instead.

"So Buster, any good stories about aliens?" Jenny asked.

"Yeah. Did you know they've taken over the mail system?" Buster asked.

"That's fascinating" Jenny replied "perhaps you could tell me more outside."

"Okay" Buster said, and left the booth "hold my place Arthur, I'm still going to order when I get back."

After the two rabbits left, Arthur looked at Sue Ellen, "you okay? You look a little nervous."

Sue Ellen cleared her throat "Arthur, you might recall that I had something important I wanted to tell you."

"Okay, what is it?"

Sue Ellen had dreaded this moment, but she knew she had to do something or she'd go crazy. Slowly she opened her mouth and let the words flow.

"Arthur, I love…"

"What? You love what?"

"I love…the Big Pig."

_Did I just say that? _

"I knew that already, you order it everytime we come here" Arthur replied.

"I have to go!" Sue Ellen said, and ran for the door.

"What is up with her?" Arthur wondered, as he watched her go.

As Sue Ellen ran home, she passed by Buster and a bored looking Jenny.

"That way, they can know all our addresses and be able to send scouts to each of our homes" Buster explained.

"This is not worth five bucks" Jenny said and headed down the street.

"Tell everyone! Don't open your mail!" Buster shouted after her.

------

Sue Ellen eventually made it back to her house and decided she needed help with her problem.

"Mom" she asked, "when did you know you liked dad?"

"Oh, not until I was in college" Mrs. Armstrong replied, "but then, I didn't meet him until then. Why do you ask dear?"

"See, there's this boy at school I kind of like" Sue Ellen explained "and I'm afraid if I tell him, and he doesn't like me back, it'll make our friendship really awkward. Plus I'm wondering if I'm too young to be in love."

"I don't think you're too young" Mrs. Armstrong replied "remember the people we met in India? They set up marriages when their kids are about half your age, or younger."

"That's different" Sue Ellen added "I picked Art…this boy, I didn't have him chosen for me."

"Look, I don't know if this is just a childhood crush, or if you really do care for this boy. To find that out, you need to look in your heart. Once you do that, it'll be easier to tell him how you feel. Does that help you, honey?"

"Yeah. Thanks mom."

"You're welcome."

------

Before she went to bed that night, Sue Ellen wrote in her diary.

'Dear diary' she began 'my mom gave me some good advice in dealing with my feelings for Arthur. I haven't had that many dreams about him recently, but I still have a weird feeling every time I see him. I think that means my feelings are true, and not just a simple schoolgirl crush. The question is, does he feel the same way? I'm not sure, but I'm hoping I can convince him that I'm the girl for him. But that will have to wait for another day.'

After she finished, she pulled up the covers and went to sleep.

Not to worry folks, I'll resolve the Sue Ellen/Arthur romance in my next story, which guest stars the Simpsons. So don't miss it!


End file.
